From the debut of the world's largest cruise ship to wave season discounts, January was a busy month for the cruise industry. Here's a snapshot of this month's top stories.

Wave season, the period between January and early March, offers cruisers discounts and extra perks. This year, dozens of cruise lines rolled out wave season promos, ranging from stateroom upgrades to flight credits. Travel advisors can make the most of this bountiful period by upselling, prioritizing products with higher commissions and sending personalized messages to clients.

At long last, Royal Caribbean christened its newest ship, Icon of the Seas, in late January. TravelPulse executive editor Eric Bowman was onboard for the ceremony in Miami¡ªas was soccer superstar Lionel Messi, the ship¡¯s official ¡°icon.¡±

"Icon of the Seas is a culmination of over 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission each and every day to deliver the world's best vacations and doing so in a responsible way," said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.

As many cruise lines continue to grapple with the Israel-Hamas conflict, another new threat has emerged in the region: Houthi rebels are firing missiles at vessels in the Red Sea.

The Iranian-backed political and military group¡¯s attacks prompted some lines to reroute their vessels and cancel itineraries this month. MSC Cruises canceled three repositioning voyages in April, and Silversea Cruises scrapped several January sailings. The leaders of Crystal Cruises, meanwhile, are watching the situation closely.

Cruise lines announced the construction of new ships and welcomed new vessels to their fleet this month. American Cruise Lines debuted American Glory, its new ¡°Coastal Cat.¡± Quark Expeditions announced that it would be sailing an additional polar expedition ship, Ocean Explorer, to Antarctica later this year. And Abercrombie & Kent shared that it plans to debut a new Nile riverboat in 2025.

The world¡¯s first three-year cruise was canceled in November, just two weeks before its scheduled departure, leaving passengers in the lurch¡ªincluding many who had sold their homes or spent their life¡¯s savings on the trip. In January, a group of would-be passengers banded together to demand a criminal investigation into the Turkish cruise line Miray Cruises, the parent company of Life at Sea Cruises.

And speaking of world cruises: Royal Caribbean¡¯s Ultimate World Cruise, which departed from Miami in late 2023, is blowing up on social media. The nine-month voyage aboard Serenade of the Seas is now a TikTok sensation, with cruisers posting regular videos from the ship¡ªand viewers checking in to catch the latest drama, as if the cruise is a reality TV show.?

Princess Cruises canceled the inaugural sailing of its newest ship, Sun Princess, because of construction delays. The 4,300-passenger vessel had been scheduled to debut from Barcelona on February 8. Instead, it will depart on February 18. Sun Princess is the largest ship ever built in Italy and it¡¯s the largest Princess Cruises ship ever.

Several cruise lines this month announced new itineraries. Celestyal Cruises will begin sailing year-round and is expanding to new regions, including the Middle East. Azamara will offer new voyages in Canada and New England this fall. Viking rolled out new ocean itineraries in China, and Windstar announced that it would return to the Mediterranean next winter.

Amid the busy wave season, Holland America Line set a new single-day sales record on January 16. Sales jumped by 18 percent from its previous best day on July 11, 2023.

David J. Herrera, who¡¯s been president of Norwegian Cruise Line for just shy of a year, spent some time reflecting on the successes of 2023. He also looked ahead to 2024, a year in which the cruise line will continue to prioritize longer, more immersive experiences for guests.